As nearly 2,000 firefighters continued to battle the Thompson Fire near Oroville in Butte County on Thursday, there have been reports that a few of the 28,000 residents forced to evacuate could also be returning home.
The fire, the reason for which remains to be under investigation, had burned an estimated 3,500 acres of land as of Thursday, in line with Cal Fire, the state's most important firefighting agency, and only seven percent of the fireplace is currently under control.
In addition, around 12,180 buildings are threatened, 4 buildings have already been destroyed.
However, Cal Fire officials reportedly revised evacuation orders and warnings on Thursday, meaning some residents returned to their homes. The Oroville Church of the Nazarene and the Butte County Fairgrounds are also now getting used as emergency shelters.
According to Cal Fire, quite a few firefighting aircraft from across the state are flying firefighting missions to the world.
Cal Fire spokesman Chris Peterson said several fire trucks, bulldozers and other vehicles were deployed to help firefighters in continuing to fight the fireplace.
The Fourth of July Independence Day fireworks display in Oroville was canceled Thursday, and California State Parks expects area parks to stay closed through Friday, depending on weather conditions.
Peterson said there was no damage yet to the Oroville Dam, the tallest dam within the United States, but the fireplace has raged on each side of the dam.
“The dam is an important piece of infrastructure, so we make sure we have crews there. That way we can protect the infrastructure because we don't want a major incident to happen,” he said.
He also said Cal Fire is expecting a change in wind and continued low humidity on Thursday, so there’s a likelihood the fireplace could flare up again.
“We have crews out there working all around the fire (using water jetting),” Peterson said.
On Tuesday, Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency over the Thompson Fire and announced that the state had received a hearth management assistance grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to offer firefighters with more resources to fight the blaze.
“We are using every tool available to fight this fire and will continue to work closely with our local and federal partners to support impacted communities,” Newsom said. “As we head into some of the most difficult months of the wildfire season, the state is better prepared than ever to protect vulnerable communities with new tools, technology and resources.”
He also said Cal Fire is expecting a change in wind today and humidity will remain low, so there’s a likelihood the fireplace could flare up again.
“We have crews out there working around the entire fire (hosing down),” Peterson said.
Peterson also said that Cal Fires is currently investigating what number of homes burned and what the reason for the fireplace was.
“We have (teams) that go into the field, and they go out and walk around every single house near the fire line to make sure … everything is documented,” he said.
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